AUBURN, Ala. – A three-run bottom of the eighth inning highlighted by a two-out, two-RBI single from Edouard Julien was the difference as No. 17 Auburn came from behind to defeat No. 21 Tennessee, 5-3, Sunday afternoon at Plainsman Park.
The win was Auburn's 13th straight, tying for the program's second longest streak since 2000, and completed the sweep of Tennessee (17-4, 0-3 SEC). The Tigers (18-2, 3-0 SEC) improved to 15-1 at home this season.
"It was a grind," head coach Butch Thompson told the Auburn Sports Network following the game. "That's the way it's supposed to be and the way it usually is. Our guys were resilient. We did everything we could, and then, of course, our championship coin goes to Edouard Julien. With two strikes, left-on-left against one of the best relievers in the Southeastern Conference, and he gets a big hit when it matters most."
Trailing 3-2, Julien stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and runners on second and third and sent a 1-2 pitch off left-handed reliever Garrett Crochet (1-1, 1.62) the other way to give the Tigers the lead. Julien later came home to score on a Tennessee throwing error to extend the advantage to the final score of 5-3.
"I was just trying to go (opposite field)," Julien said. "I didn't want to pull it. With two strikes, I was just trying to put something in play, and I was fortunate to put that slider into the outfield."
Auburn southpaw Kyle Gray (1-1, 5.00) picked up his first win in an Auburn uniform as he held the Volunteers scoreless in the final 1.2 innings. Gray induced a ground ball to second with the bases loaded and two outs to end the game.
A pair of sparkling defensive plays in the top of the seventh and eighth innings kept Auburn in the game. Kason Howell made a diving catch in right-center field with a runner on second to end the top of the seventh. Down by a run an inning later, Judd Ward caught a foul ball down the left-field line and fired home to get the runner by three steps and keep the deficit at one with the inning-ending double play. The outfield assist was Ward's third of the season.
"Kason in centerfield, he's been making plays all year long," Julien added. "He's a freshman and he's acting like he's a senior out there. Then Judd, he's throw somebody out every time he's had a chance, and we knew he would make that one."
Freshman left-hander Carson Skipper started on the mound for the Tigers and retired the first eight batters he faced before Tennessee got on the scoreboard with a pair of two-out hits in the third inning.
Down 2-0, the Tigers scored the team's first runs of the contest in the bottom of the fifth when Ward drove in Conor Davis on a groundout to second. A batter later, Matt Scheffler hustled out an infield single to score Howell and tie the game, 2-2.
Auburn used five reliever, including Ryan Watson, Peyton Glavine, Cody Greenhill and Richard Fitts to go along with Gray, to keep the Tigers in the game. Greenhill made his second appearance of the weekend and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning to keep the game tied.
"We were just kind of fighting it all day," Thompson added. "But every one of these guys that pitched, everybody that got in the ball game for us, they gave us the best that they could and the dam never broke. They kept us in striking distance."
Offensively, Will Holland collected a pair of hits and Julien drove in multiple runs for the second straight game and eighth time this season. Holland and Howell stole a pair of bases to pace the Tigers running game that swiped six bags today. The six stolen bases were the team's most since 2016.
Auburn continues its schedule with an eight-game road trip, beginning with a contest against UAB Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT at Regions Field. The game will be broadcasted on CUSA.TV.